Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides.
Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on
the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will need to join the MOA before you can post: click this register link to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

2003 R1150RT To lube the spline or not to lube the spline

Hi all,

I purchased a 2003 R1150RT with 27K on it last year. I have been very happy with it and want it to last. That being said I'm tipping in at about 300 LBS and ride reasonably aggressively. Of course the best thing to do would be to lose weight but seeing as I, in essence, ride 2 up all the time I am wondering about if and when I should have the spines lubed. I have a great mechanic who I trust to do the job but I question if and when I need to do it. The bike has 38K on it now and at first I was thinking I would have it done at 40K. I am experiencing no unusual symptoms and have no concerns about the bike. My only real concern is about what I have read regarding spline failure and possible prevention. Any opinions?

every 40-50K is a good idea in general (so asserts PG). Your extra weight probably does not impact spline lube wear. Once your bike starts experiencing symptoms (difficulty downshifting, usually 3 to 2 or 4 to 3), you have only a few thousand miles before full failure happens. And Murphy's Law tells us that will NOT happen anywhere convenient. I'd do it this winter if it was my bike.

You can also check the condition of the splines by pulling the starter off and looking into the slot. Tie off the clutch lever, then rotate the clutch disk back and forth with a small tool. The disk and the splines should turn in unison. If not, you have problems.

Here's a youtube video that will give you the idea. He has a small amout of movement.

Last year I created a pictorial of the entire process of disassembly of the 1150RT. Also included were the locations of all threads I found concerning the same on BMWMOA. I did a search and can not find this thread. Could the moderators assist with this? Search for "A pictorial Spline Lube"

Last year I created a pictorial of the entire process of disassembly of the 1150RT. Also included were the locations of all threads I found concerning the same on BMWMOA. I did a search and can not find this thread. Could the moderators assist with this? Search for "A pictorial Spline Lube"

A couple days ago when I was working on the starter I had a look at the splines. After tie-wrapping the clutch handle to pulled in, I looked for movement between the hub and aplines. At the clutch plate outer edge I had about 1/16 of an inch of free movement before the splines also moved. This calculates to about 1 degree. I'm assuming this is fine.

Chris Harris, who prepared the above 5 minute video in his Manchester, NH shop, believes many of the 1100 and 1150 machines have a design defect in the interface between transmission shaft and clutch assembly (3 mm gap), such that the transmission splines do not fully engage. He uses a redesigned clutch plate manufactured by Bruno Sax (http://www.brunos.us) in Canada, which closes that 3 mm distance to achieve full transmission/clutch engagement. Interestingly, he believes those riders like me - who tend not to wind the rpms out in each gear - are more likely to have the spline problem with their bikes than riders who push their machines harder. He says riders who have installed the redesigned non-OEM clutch plate do not have this issue, which is not a function of lubrication, he maintains. Interesting ...

Chris Harris, who prepared the above 5 minute video in his Manchester, NH shop, believes many of the 1100 and 1150 machines have a design defect in the interface between transmission shaft and clutch assembly (3 mm gap), such that the transmission splines do not fully engage. He uses a redesigned clutch plate manufactured by Bruno Sax (http://www.brunos.us) in Canada, which closes that 3 mm distance to achieve full transmission/clutch engagement. Interestingly, he believes those riders like me - who tend not to wind the rpms out in each gear - are more likely to have the spline problem with their bikes than riders who push their machines harder. He says riders who have installed the redesigned non-OEM clutch plate do not have this issue, which is not a function of lubrication, he maintains. Interesting ...

about 6 or 7 yrs ago there was a guy in Canada (pretty sure it was not Bruno) that did basically the same thing. he had made up some prototypes, and was offering kits for sale for about $1G. never sold well- as stock parts were less than 1/3 of that, and most prospective buyers (he had posted on Pelicanparts.com's ) didn't see themselves replacing the clutch pack 3+ times.
do you know what Bruno's charging?.. i did not see the items on his website.